Sol Plaatje Institute
About the Sol Plaatje Institute
Visit the Sol Plaatje Institute web site: www.spiml.co.za
Established in late 2002, the Sol Plaatje Media Leadership Institute is located within Rhodes University's Department of Journalism and Media Studies. The Institute is a pioneering initiative that provides courses for present and future media leaders to improve their editorial and business skills. The Institute offers high-level editorial and business management courses that attracts participants from South Africa as well as the continent, as well as a one year Intensive Post Graduate Diploma in Media Management.
Practicing editors and media business managers will be able to take part in the Certificate Courses in Editorial/Business Management, which will be held several times each year, and be augmented by distance learning.
The Institute is named after Sol Plaatje (1876-1932), one of the most remarkable South Africans of his generation. Plaatje was an outstanding political leader, and a prolific writer and journalist. He was one of the founders of the African National Congress and became its first General Secretary. His political book "Native Life in South Africa" is a classic while his historical novel "Mhudi" was the first novel in English to have been written by a black South African. Plaatje founded and edited two Tswana-language newspapers.
Staff
Director: Francis Mdlongwa
The Director of the Institute is Francis Mdlongwa. Francis is a highly experienced media executive, having served as Group Editor-in-Chief for the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, taking charge of The Daily News and The Daily News on Sunday. Mdlongwa has further served as Editor-in-Chief of The Financial Gazette, a leading Zimbabwean business and political paper. He has also been head of news and current affairs for the SABC's Channel Africa, editor of the Sunday Gazette in Harare and has spent many years with the international news agency, Reuters.
Deputy Director: Pete Du Toit
He has been a journalism trainer for almost ten years, running courses across Africa and in South East Asia. He has conducted in-service management courses on behalf of the JMS department for print and broadcast managers from across the SADC region. Du Toit has worked as a journalist for Times Media Ltd; as news editor for the Development News Agency and as an independent trainer and consultant, working with a broad range of international NGOs.
Our full-time staff lead most course and participants additionally benefit from the input of experienced media managers from within industry. We also draw on the extensive expertise of the lecturing staff from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies and other academic departments at Rhodes University.
Apply for the Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management?
Application forms are available from the Student Bureau, contact Desiree Wicks on d.wicks@ru.ac.za. A CV, an academic transcript and a letter of motivation explaining the applicant's particular interest in pursuing the diploma should accompany applications. Entry into the diploma is competitive and is limited to up to 16 students. For more information on either part time or full time courses offered by the Sol Plaatje Media Leadership Institute contact Linda Snam 046 603 8782 or email her: l.snam@ru.ac.za
Full Time:
The diploma is open to students with a recognised undergraduate degree or (equivalent) who are interested in pursuing a career in media management as well as working journalists/ media professionals who wish to move into management.
